Raytheon moves forward on DARPA Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) program

Raytheon moves forward on DARPA Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) program
PCAS could provide quicker close air support for ground troops
PR Newswire
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 9, 2013
TUCSON, Ariz., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) is
moving forward with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on the
agency's Persistent Close Air Support (PCAS) program, whose software could
enable ground troops to receive close air support sooner by improving
coordination among joint terminal attack controllers, airborne sensors and
weapons.
Originally designed for the A-10 Thunderbolt, the recently expanded PCAS
program intends to now develop a platform- and sensor-agnostic electronics
suite that can be easily integrated onto multiple platforms.
During the current 12-month phase 2 effort, Raytheon is maturing the PCAS
program from preliminary design to a critical design review, with an option
for phase 3. The PCAS Phase 2 contract was awarded in Raytheon's fourth
quarter of 2012 and modified in the third quarter of 2013. The phase 3 PCAS
contract is expected to include an 18-month, $25 million effort culminating in
a series of flight tests and live-fire demonstrations.
Raytheon is the systems integrator for PCAS and leads an industry team
comprised of Rockwell Collins, General Electric and BAE Systems. Raytheon
brings its expertise in overall systems integration, weapons, aircraft
integration and unmanned aircraft system ground control stations to PCAS.
"Every minute on the ground counts for warfighters waiting for close air
support," said Tom Bussing, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems'
Advanced Missile Systems product line. "PCAS could reduce the critical minutes
it takes to get it to them. Raytheon is not just developing next-generation
weapons, we are constantly finding ways to make them more effective in theater
to protect our troops."
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees
worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense,
security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation
spanning 91 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission
systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects;
and command, control, communications and intelligence systems; as well as a
broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham,
Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on
Twitter @raytheon.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the
official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S.
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Media Contact
Tara Wood
+1.520.794.7715
rmspr@raytheon.com
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Website: http://www.raytheon.com